We had an enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend. I guess it was so great that we didn't take any pictures of it :)
It was so nice to sleep in a little for 5 days :) I am grateful that none of my children are "morning people"! This year we went to our neighbors' house for dinner. It was been years since we haven't hosted dinner, so it was really strange not cooking the turkey. It took me a little longer to get in the Thanksgiving spirit because I wasn't as wrapped up in cooking. We did make some yummy rolls, Cherry Coke Salad (can't have a holiday without that!), mashed potatoes, and store-bought pies. The Jacksons had the tables decorated so cute -- cornucopias made out of sugar cones, filled with M&M's for the adults and fruit snacks for the kids! Plus their kids had made cute place settings -- Turkeys made by dipping fingers into paint to create the feather look. Wish I took a picture!
We stayed at their home for about 6 hours, and still the boys put up a fight when it was time to go! I got everyone home and in bed by myself, because Ryan had already left to go wait in line at Old Navy. They were giving out free Lego Rockband discs to the first 50 people in line. I had heard that last year people started lining up at 7:00pm, so we wanted to make sure to be near the front of the line to get a copy! Ryan got there at 6:45 and called me. When I asked how the line was, he replied, "I AM the line!" So he waited in the car for about an hour until another group showed up, and then he waited in the line in the 20-something degree weather until the store opened at 3am! He has some great stories, which I will let him post sometime. But I think he had fun and it was worth it! Now we just hope that Santa brings us a Wii for Christmas so we can play the game :) (Shhhh . . . the boys just know he was gone running an errand.)
The rest of the weekend was filled with just relaxing and putting up Christmas decorations. I am happy to say that I have the majority of my shopping done already. So now I can focus on all the other holiday fun, and a few crafty projects I need to complete before Christmas.
I am thankful for such wonderful neighbors and family. And I am thankful that it is almost Christmas and we get to focus even more on service and our Savior.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Eat this up!
I am so grateful for digital cameras! I think we have more pics of Elizabeth in her first 4 months of life than we probably do of Benjamin or Joshua in their first year! It's probably the "digital" factor combined with the fun and newness of all the cute girl clothes!
She smiles almost constantly. Lately the smiles are combined with "singing" -- loud continuous cooing. It is so cute, but sometimes it interferes with hearing a conversation or a show on TV!
Hello!
Benjamin insisted that she needed both rattles at the same time. Elizabeth loves to try to put them in her mouth, even though they are way too big to fit!
Nathan loves to carry her all over the house. The other day he got her to laugh so hard just by smiling at her and saying hi!
It's too bad that these pictures don't do her eyes justice. They are such a deep, beautiful blue color (just like Benjamin's).
In her Sunday best. Luckily for me, not too many people get to see her cute outfit. She still stays in her carseat on the pew for all of Sacrament Meeting. She gets out more in Primary than she used to. We have some great primary leaders who enjoy holding her since I am at the piano a lot (thank you!).
She smiles almost constantly. Lately the smiles are combined with "singing" -- loud continuous cooing. It is so cute, but sometimes it interferes with hearing a conversation or a show on TV!
Hello!
Benjamin insisted that she needed both rattles at the same time. Elizabeth loves to try to put them in her mouth, even though they are way too big to fit!
Nathan loves to carry her all over the house. The other day he got her to laugh so hard just by smiling at her and saying hi!
It's too bad that these pictures don't do her eyes justice. They are such a deep, beautiful blue color (just like Benjamin's).
In her Sunday best. Luckily for me, not too many people get to see her cute outfit. She still stays in her carseat on the pew for all of Sacrament Meeting. She gets out more in Primary than she used to. We have some great primary leaders who enjoy holding her since I am at the piano a lot (thank you!).
Friday, November 20, 2009
Chub
I just had to take these pictures of Elizabeth in her diaper -- her chub is so cute! I just want to eat her up sometimes (well, actually most of the time)!
She LOVES her crib bumper. Since she is still little, we use one side of her crib for sleeping and the other side as a changing table. She gets excited when I start to put her on the "diaper" side. She loves to look at the flowers to her right while I change her.
The other night when I put her in bed for the night, she stared at the white flower to the side of her head. Then she reached out and was trying to grab it!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
It's Done!
One tradition that I have is to make a quilt for each of my babies. For each of the boys, I had theirs done before they were born. Well, for Elizabeth I had 2 quilts made for her before she was born. I knew I would keep one and give the other away, I just couldn't decide at the beginning which would be for her. After I finished those 2, they sat on a chair in the nursery for a good month as I tried to decide which I liked best for Elizabeth, and which one I would give to my good friend who was having a girl a few months later.
Then we got exciting news -- another good friend across the street was adopting a baby! The baby was born 12 weeks early (her name happens to be Elizabeth, too!) and the ward quickly threw together a shower for the happy new mom. I really wanted to make her a quilt, but with my own new baby and the short notice, I did not really have time to make a new one. So I ended up giving them the second of the 2 quilts I made for Elizabeth.
Before the neighbor's shower, I had sketched up a pattern and was actually contemplating making it in a week (baby quilts are SO much faster than bigger ones, and I do thrive on deadlines). But as I looked at the patterns, I realized the one that was already done was more of their fun, outgoing style, while my new sketch was more of our family's traditional style.
I started the quilt that really is for Elizabeth this time on Conference weekend.. I got a ton done then, and have slowly worked on it. I finished it this Sunday -- just in time to use it to cover her carseat from the snow we got on Monday :)
I wasn't able to get a great picture of it -- I couldn't get the lighting right. But this should give you a decent idea of it.
Now we are doing a quilting club in our ward (which I am heading up at least for this first project). I am excited to share my hobby with others and help them make fun quilts, too!
Then we got exciting news -- another good friend across the street was adopting a baby! The baby was born 12 weeks early (her name happens to be Elizabeth, too!) and the ward quickly threw together a shower for the happy new mom. I really wanted to make her a quilt, but with my own new baby and the short notice, I did not really have time to make a new one. So I ended up giving them the second of the 2 quilts I made for Elizabeth.
Before the neighbor's shower, I had sketched up a pattern and was actually contemplating making it in a week (baby quilts are SO much faster than bigger ones, and I do thrive on deadlines). But as I looked at the patterns, I realized the one that was already done was more of their fun, outgoing style, while my new sketch was more of our family's traditional style.
I started the quilt that really is for Elizabeth this time on Conference weekend.. I got a ton done then, and have slowly worked on it. I finished it this Sunday -- just in time to use it to cover her carseat from the snow we got on Monday :)
I wasn't able to get a great picture of it -- I couldn't get the lighting right. But this should give you a decent idea of it.
Now we are doing a quilting club in our ward (which I am heading up at least for this first project). I am excited to share my hobby with others and help them make fun quilts, too!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Happy Birthday
We hit a big milestone in our family last week -- Nathan turned 8! We celebrated with the family on Friday night (his actual birthday) by going to his favorite restaurant -- Brick Oven. The kids love the pasta shells, but they also love the Balloon Man. It was a very busy night, but we were finally able to get him to come to our table.
Nathan asked for a sledge hammer (where did that come from?), Benjamin got an alien with a laser gun, and Joshua got a puppy.
After they sang to him and brought him dessert at the restaurant, we came home and he got to open presents. I think he loved everything, although his immediate favorite was his alarm clock from grandma. I think he's excited to be able to wake himself up (so are we!) and to listen to the radio while in his room.
He also was so excited to get his Cub Scout shirt and book -- he couldn't wait to put it on!
He's also had a lot of fun this last week playing with his Indiana Jones Legos and his Transformers.
Saturday after swim lessons was Nathan's Harry Potter party with friends. Nathan had 9 friends come over to "Hogwarts." After they said a password to get in, we started by making wands. Somehow we didn't get pictures of that, but they took dowels and got to paint them and use pipe cleaners to make the handles.
While those dried, the kids took turns sitting on a stool and wearing the Sorting Hat (it's nice that the party was right after Halloween and it was easy to find the hat). They were sorted into 4 different Gryffindor teams.
Then we went outside to Potions class, where they worked in their teams for 3 different potions. We did "Lava in a Cup", Liquid/Solid with cornstarch and water, and the favorite: "Fizzy Foam" (basically vinegar with baking soda). I think they all had a lot of fun, and they did pretty well with cleaning up the mess. Thank goodness for disposable tablecloths!
The next class was Divination, aka opening presents. Before Nathan could open a present, the child giving it to him would make eye contact. They both had to think about the gift, and then Nathan would make a guess what it was.
Then we moved on to the Great Hall for Golden Snitch ice cream cake and butterbeer (aka root beer).
Our final class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. The kids found a pinata that looked like an innocent 8, but really it was an evil snake in disguise! Everyone got 2 turns to beat at the snake, and then Nathan got to finish him off. Once he was destroyed, candy and small toys were left behind!
Then the kids got to take their wands home, along with a container of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.
It was fun to see the kids outside later that afternoon (most of the kids that came live in our neighborhood) playing together with their wands. I think Nathan had a great birthday weekend, and now we are looking forward to his baptism in December.
Nathan asked for a sledge hammer (where did that come from?), Benjamin got an alien with a laser gun, and Joshua got a puppy.
After they sang to him and brought him dessert at the restaurant, we came home and he got to open presents. I think he loved everything, although his immediate favorite was his alarm clock from grandma. I think he's excited to be able to wake himself up (so are we!) and to listen to the radio while in his room.
He also was so excited to get his Cub Scout shirt and book -- he couldn't wait to put it on!
He's also had a lot of fun this last week playing with his Indiana Jones Legos and his Transformers.
Saturday after swim lessons was Nathan's Harry Potter party with friends. Nathan had 9 friends come over to "Hogwarts." After they said a password to get in, we started by making wands. Somehow we didn't get pictures of that, but they took dowels and got to paint them and use pipe cleaners to make the handles.
While those dried, the kids took turns sitting on a stool and wearing the Sorting Hat (it's nice that the party was right after Halloween and it was easy to find the hat). They were sorted into 4 different Gryffindor teams.
Then we went outside to Potions class, where they worked in their teams for 3 different potions. We did "Lava in a Cup", Liquid/Solid with cornstarch and water, and the favorite: "Fizzy Foam" (basically vinegar with baking soda). I think they all had a lot of fun, and they did pretty well with cleaning up the mess. Thank goodness for disposable tablecloths!
The next class was Divination, aka opening presents. Before Nathan could open a present, the child giving it to him would make eye contact. They both had to think about the gift, and then Nathan would make a guess what it was.
Then we moved on to the Great Hall for Golden Snitch ice cream cake and butterbeer (aka root beer).
Our final class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. The kids found a pinata that looked like an innocent 8, but really it was an evil snake in disguise! Everyone got 2 turns to beat at the snake, and then Nathan got to finish him off. Once he was destroyed, candy and small toys were left behind!
Then the kids got to take their wands home, along with a container of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.
It was fun to see the kids outside later that afternoon (most of the kids that came live in our neighborhood) playing together with their wands. I think Nathan had a great birthday weekend, and now we are looking forward to his baptism in December.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
3 and a half months
Our little Elizabeth is growing so fast! I had to break out the 3-6 month clothes yesterday, which is fun and sad at the same time.
Elizabeth is so much fun! For the last few weeks she has been such a smiler! Whenever anyone makes eye contact with her and smiles, she will break out in the biggest smile ever! And lately she will even laugh with the smile! I can also make her laugh by tickling her on her upper chest/lower neck area. I love baby laughs!
When she is laying there just chillin', we often hear her blowing spit bubbles and cooing at the same time. It is SO cute!
She loves people and loves to look around and observe whatever might be happening.
She used to sleep 9-10 hours over night. About 2 weeks ago, she started waking up once around 5:00 to eat, but I can't complain. She goes right back to sleep.
Elizabeth is very patient with her brothers, who love to hold her and get in her face!
I can't believe that in just a few months she will be eating baby food and working on crawling -- they grow up too fast! She is such a wonderful and happy part of our family.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Big Brother
Joshua (in a happy voice that only he can do): "I'm such a big brother! Elizabeth will always be my sister."
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Halloween
What a fun week we had celebrating Halloween! It started with the church carnival on Wednesday. The Young Men and Women host it every year, and there are fun booths for the kids to play at. Benjamin's favorite was definitely the cake walk. I know he won 3 cupcakes -- I'm sure he played it much more than that! 
Joshua was pretty shy most of the night. I walked around with him and helped him at each booth. I ended up being the one to toss his bean bags and do a few of the other activities for him. 
Nathan went off on his own a lot, enjoying everything. He was excited for the donut on a string booth. He also loved this last one he did before we left: he got to shoot at plastic cups with a pellet gun. Elizabeth pretty much slept in her stroller the whole time.
On Friday both Benjamin and Nathan had their Halloween costume parades at school. The big school one is in the afternoon, but Benjamin is in morning kindergarten, so Joshua and Elizabeth and I got to go up to the school twice in one day!
Friday night was Ryan's work's Halloween party. As usual, they went all out. The kids started by trick or treating around the office. Then they went into the conference room and decorated pumpkins. There were all sorts of fun things they could use: paint, stickers, pipe cleaners, hats, feathers, pom poms, markers, etc.
That was followed by delicious Brick Oven pizza. The boys' favorite part was last: "Turn Daddy into a Mummy". They remembered this from the last Halloween party and they were anticipating it all week!
Saturday, October 31 started off with swim lessons. Then we ran a few quick errands and found ourselves at Jason's Deli for lunch. We don't usually go out for lunch, so it was fun to change things up a little bit. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous for the last day of October, so the rest of the afternoon the kids played outside until it was time to Trick or Treat.
On Wednesday and Friday, Nathan had been an alien in his space ship that he made himself out of a cardboard box. He was quite proud of his creation. However, he got tired of having to explain to everyone what he was, so on Saturday he switched costumes to Bumblebee transformer. That was his costume last year, and it was originally what he was going to be this year until he had gotten excited about his spaceship :)
Elizabeth (who was a "flower patch" this year) and I stayed home and answered the door. Joshua went with the twins next door and their parents, while Ryan took Benjamin, Nathan, and the older neighbor boys. That seemed to work better this year, since the bigger kids move a lot faster than the little ones. The kids also took a hayride or two around the block, thanks to our wonderful neighbors. It has become (only in its second year) another tradition that they look forward to!
After the kids got back from trick or treating, they had PB&J sandwiches -- I used a cookie cutter to make a ghost shape in the middle. And they watched a Halloween special of Monsters vs. Aliens. Everyone had a great Halloween . . . sugar high, here we come!
Joshua was pretty shy most of the night. I walked around with him and helped him at each booth. I ended up being the one to toss his bean bags and do a few of the other activities for him. 
Nathan went off on his own a lot, enjoying everything. He was excited for the donut on a string booth. He also loved this last one he did before we left: he got to shoot at plastic cups with a pellet gun. Elizabeth pretty much slept in her stroller the whole time.
On Friday both Benjamin and Nathan had their Halloween costume parades at school. The big school one is in the afternoon, but Benjamin is in morning kindergarten, so Joshua and Elizabeth and I got to go up to the school twice in one day!
Friday night was Ryan's work's Halloween party. As usual, they went all out. The kids started by trick or treating around the office. Then they went into the conference room and decorated pumpkins. There were all sorts of fun things they could use: paint, stickers, pipe cleaners, hats, feathers, pom poms, markers, etc.
Nathan's pumpkin:
Benjamin's pumpkin:
Joshua's pumpkin:
Then we moved into the other conference room where we decorated graveyards (aka a chocolate cake with cute toppings like gummy worms, milano cookies for the tombstones, marshmallow ghosts, cookie dirt, etc). 
That was followed by delicious Brick Oven pizza. The boys' favorite part was last: "Turn Daddy into a Mummy". They remembered this from the last Halloween party and they were anticipating it all week!
Saturday, October 31 started off with swim lessons. Then we ran a few quick errands and found ourselves at Jason's Deli for lunch. We don't usually go out for lunch, so it was fun to change things up a little bit. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous for the last day of October, so the rest of the afternoon the kids played outside until it was time to Trick or Treat.
On Wednesday and Friday, Nathan had been an alien in his space ship that he made himself out of a cardboard box. He was quite proud of his creation. However, he got tired of having to explain to everyone what he was, so on Saturday he switched costumes to Bumblebee transformer. That was his costume last year, and it was originally what he was going to be this year until he had gotten excited about his spaceship :)
Elizabeth (who was a "flower patch" this year) and I stayed home and answered the door. Joshua went with the twins next door and their parents, while Ryan took Benjamin, Nathan, and the older neighbor boys. That seemed to work better this year, since the bigger kids move a lot faster than the little ones. The kids also took a hayride or two around the block, thanks to our wonderful neighbors. It has become (only in its second year) another tradition that they look forward to!
After the kids got back from trick or treating, they had PB&J sandwiches -- I used a cookie cutter to make a ghost shape in the middle. And they watched a Halloween special of Monsters vs. Aliens. Everyone had a great Halloween . . . sugar high, here we come!
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